History of India (300 CE – 750 CE): Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering political dynasties, socio-economic changes, religious developments, literature, science, and art from India c. 300–750 CE.

Gupta Empire

Indian dynasty (c. 320–550 CE) often called the “Golden Age” for its political stability, economic prosperity, and cultural flowering.

Bhukti

Provincial administrative unit of the Gupta Empire.

Vishaya

District-level subdivision within Gupta provincial administration.

Chandragupta I

Founder of the Gupta dynasty who began imperial expansion.

Samudragupta

Gupta ruler famed for extensive military campaigns and conquests.

Chandragupta II

Gupta monarch whose reign marked the zenith of cultural and economic prosperity.

Vakatakas

Contemporary Deccan dynasty that allied and conflicted with the Guptas.

Kadambas

Early Karnataka kingdom that asserted independence during Gupta times.

Pallavas

South-Indian dynasty (capital Kanchi) known for rock-cut and structural Dravidian temples.

Mahendravarman I

Pallava king noted for early cave-temple patronage at Mahabalipuram.

Narasimhavarman I

Pallava ruler who defeated the Chalukyas and expanded Pallava power.

Chalukyas

Deccan dynasty (capital Badami) famed for temple architecture at Aihole, Badami & Pattadakal.

Pulakeshin I

Founder of the Early Chalukya power at Badami.

Pulakeshin II

Greatest Chalukya ruler; checked Harsha’s northward advance.

Vardhanas

North-Indian dynasty (capital Thanesar/Kanaauj) whose most famous king was Harsha.

Harsha

Vardhana emperor (c. 606–647 CE) known for efficient administration and literary patronage.

Land grant

Royal donation of land, often to Brahmins or temples, that stimulated agrarian expansion and decentralization.

Donee

Recipient of a land grant responsible for cultivating or managing the donated land.

Landed intermediary

Class that controlled granted lands between king and cultivator, e.g., Brahmins, officials, temples.

Tenant farmer

Peasant who cultivated land held by landlords in exchange for a share of produce.

Vishti

Forced or obligatory labor imposed on peasants in early medieval India.

Graded land rights

Hierarchy of ownership and control ranging from royal overlordship to cultivators’ usufruct.

Dharma

Righteous conduct and cosmic order; key Brahmanical ethical principle.

Varnashramadharma

Social-religious system combining varna (class) and ashrama (life-stage) duties.

Purusharthas

Four aims of life: Dharma, Artha, Kama, and Moksha.

Samskara

Rite of passage ritual marking key stages in Hindu life.

Mahayana Buddhism

Buddhist branch emphasizing Bodhisattvas and universal salvation.

Bodhisattva

Enlightened being who delays Nirvana to aid others.

Puranas

Sanskrit texts narrating myths of gods like Vishnu, Shiva, Devi; popularized devotional worship.

Tantricism

Esoteric movement using mantras, yantras, mudras, and rituals to attain liberation.

Mantra

Sacred syllable or phrase used in Tantric and Vedic practices.

Yantra

Geometric diagram employed as a meditative aid in Tantra.

Mandala

Symbolic cosmic diagram used in Tantric visualization.

Mudra

Symbolic hand gesture integral to ritual and iconography.

Sanskrit

Classical liturgical language of Hinduism and scholarship in ancient India.

Pali

Prakrit language of the Theravada Buddhist canonical Tipitaka.

Prakrit

Group of vernacular Indo-Aryan languages used in Jain and secular literature.

Tamil

Classical Dravidian language with rich Sangam and post-Sangam literary traditions.

Sangam literature

Early Tamil poetic corpus (c. 300 BCE–300 CE) focused on love, war, and society.

Tirukkural

Tamil didactic text of ethical aphorisms composed by Tiruvalluvar.

Silappatikaram

Tamil epic narrating the story of Kannagi and the anklet.

Manimekalai

Buddhist-themed Tamil epic and sequel to Silappatikaram.

Aryabhatiya

Mathematical-astronomical treatise by Aryabhata (c. 499 CE).

Brahmasphutasiddhanta

Brahmagupta’s 7th-century work on algebra, zero, and astronomy.

Charaka Samhita

Foundational Ayurvedic medical treatise attributed to Charaka.

Sushruta Samhita

Classical text on surgery and medicine by Sushruta.

Gupta temple

Early stone Hindu shrine, square plan with flat roof or simple shikhara (e.g., Dashavatara Temple, Deogarh).

Ajanta Caves

Rock-cut Buddhist monastic caves famous for Gupta-period murals.

Sarnath Buddha image

Iconic Gupta sandstone sculpture exemplifying classical style.

Badami Cave Temples

Early Chalukya rock-cut shrines blending Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist themes.

Aihole

Chalukya site with experimental early temple architecture.

Pattadakal

UNESCO site showing climax of Early Chalukya temple architecture.

Nagara style

North-Indian temple architecture with curvilinear shikhara.

Dravida style

South-Indian temple form with tiered pyramidal tower (vimana).

Vesara style

Hybrid Deccan temple style blending Nagara and Dravida features.

Kandariya Mahadeva Temple

Khajuraho Nagara-style temple famed for sculptural richness.

Sun Temple, Konark

13th-century Odisha Nagara temple shaped like a stone chariot.

Brihadeeswarar Temple

Chola Dravida temple at Thanjavur with massive granite vimana.

Kailasa Temple, Ellora

Rashtrakuta monolithic rock-cut temple exemplifying Vesara style.

Ellora murals

Post-Gupta paintings depicting Hindu, Buddhist, Jain themes.

Chola bronzes

South-Indian bronze sculptures (c. 9th–13th C) celebrated for technical and aesthetic excellence.

Pala painting

Eastern Indian Buddhist manuscript illumination noted for delicate lines and bright colors.

Urban decline (post-Gupta)

Contraction of cities due to decreased long-distance trade, coin scarcity, and rural migration.

Debasement of coinage

Reduction of precious-metal content in coins, eroding monetary trust in early medieval India.

Barter system

Exchange of goods without coin; revived during post-Gupta monetary scarcity.

Long-distance trade decline

Breakdown of international commerce networks after Gupta fall, harming urban economies.